Celebrity stoners

By
Brooke Thorsteinson
on February 11, 2005

Britney SpearsOops!… I hit it again
Britney Spears was spotted in an Amsterdam coffeeshop in May 2004, where paparazzi scored cuddly photos of Spears with her now-husband, back-up dancer Kevin Federline. They were also seen having a toke or two with friends at “De Bulldog” coffeeshop at the Leidseplein tourist trap.

Spears has been rumored to be enjoying a substance before. Reports that Britney went out of control with her drinking, partying and alleged cocaine use brought her Southern parents down on her hard.

The singer is surrounded by family and bodyguards at all hours, and is reported to endure supervised bathroom breaks, just to make sure all the sniffling is due to an exhausting tour schedule and not nose candy.

We hope that Britney just sticks with the weed!

Justin TimberlakeHollyweed north

Once part of the wild ride that is Britney Spears, but now focusing on his budding movie career, is Justin Timberlake, who as recently as March 2004 was seen frolicking in Vancouver headshops.

The former boy-bander got in sync with his inner pothead during filming of the feature flick, Edison, a thriller about a fresh-faced journalist who discovers a den of corrupt policemen. Timberlake’s costars are Kevin Spacey, who toked during his award-winning performance for American Beauty, and confirmed cannabis-lover Morgan Freeman, who says that pot is a “gift from God.” (CC#45, Celebrity stoners).

One of the Vansterdam locations chosen for filming was the Blunt Brothers Cafe, which was sadly burned during a massive fire (CC#50, Arson hits Vancouver’s pot block). Luckily, the pot spot survived just long enough to be immortalized on film, and to have international stars such as Spacey, Freeman and Timberlake toke up inside its doors.

Another major marijuana movie was filmed recently in Vansterdam. Reefer Madness, starring Canadian dancer-turned-actress Neve Campbell, is a new musical based on the cult-hit film of the same name. (See story this issue.) Neve stars as “Miss Poppy,” a singing and dancing owner of the local teen diner.

Steven Weber (Leaving Las Vegas) portrays “Jack,” the slick marijuana dealer who runs the “Reefer Den” and keeps the local teens hooked on “the stuff.” Jack finds fresh meat to add to his growing plethora of ganja-addicted teens. Alan Cumming (Cabaret) also stars as “The Lecturer,” a figure of authority who lectures parents about the evil trappings of weed. Cumming previously portrayed one half of an egocentric Hollywood couple who takes Ecstasy in The Anniversary Party.

Neve CampbellThe rapper and the tapper

One of Justin Timberlake’s former collaborators, Ja Rule, had a tussle with law enforcement recently. The rapper was arrested in Manhattan on July 1, 2004 for possession of marijuana and driving without a license after he was spotted driving recklessly by police.

Rule was pulled over and found to have marijuana on his person when police saw him suddenly cut across four lanes of traffic. The possession charges were dropped against Ja Rule after he pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license and paid $550 in fines and court fees.

In a separate but similar incident, tap-dancer Savion Glover, star of recent V8 vegetable juice commercials, was also arrested in Manhattan on July 1, 2004, after cops stopped him when he made three lane changes without signaling. Cops subsequently found a small amount of marijuana in his possession. Glover was released on his own recognizance until his return to court.

Saving Mick’s roach

While on tour in Croatia, rocker Lenny Kravitz told Gloria magazine that he had smoked pot with Mick Jagger, and that he had kept the roach as a souvenir out of respect for the Rolling Stoner, calling it a “great privilege” when Mick offered to share some pot with him.

“We were performing on the same stage once, and he invited me to go to his place afterwards,” Kravitz said. “We talked the entire night and smoked marijuana. We shared a joint, and I kept the rest of it for almost a year. It was a sign of respect.”

The remains didn’t last much longer: “At one point I had no grass at home,” Kravitz explains, “so I smoked the rest of the joint I shared with Jagger.”

Lenny KravitzHopped up on hip-hop

Kimora Lee Simmons, CEO of fashion label Baby Phat, ex-model, and wife of hip-hop and fashion billionaire Russell Simmons, was arrested outside her New Jersey mansion after she failed to pull over the Mercedes Benz she was driving, leading police on a two-mile pursuit. After pulling over, her car was searched and a small amount of herb was found in her vehicle.

Kimora is guilty of several other minor offenses, including driving a vehicle with a broken tail light and reckless driving. Russell Simmons alleges that the arrest was a result of racial profiling. Kimora claims the pot found in her car belonged to one of the other passengers.

The funny stuff

Comedian Andy Dick, 38, was nabbed backstage on May 2, 2004 while attending the Coachella music festival in Indio, California.

Allegedly, Dick was in a VIP area when security noticed him trying to light up a joint. They detained the C-list star and discovered a baggie of weed weighing less than an ounce. Dick had his VIP wristband confiscated and was asked to leave the concert ground. He was cited for misdemeanor drug possession and was scheduled to appear in court.

Dick currently stars in The Assistant, an eight-episode takeoff on the NBC hit, The Apprentice.

Steve-OThe merry prankster

Steve-O (Steven Glover) of MTV’s Jackass and Wild Boyz fame, made a joke to a newspaper while touring in Sweden that a drug-packed condom was lodged in his intestines and he was afraid it had gotten stuck.

It did not amuse police, who raided the TV star’s hotel room and then arrested him on drug charges after Steve-O admitted to possession of the Ecstasy tablet and five grams of marijuana they found. He told the court that the drug-filled condom story was just a joke.

Still, Steve-O had to “sit in a cell on a special toilet with an alien object in his stomach [while police wait]for it to come out so they can analyze the contents,” said prosecutor Gunnar Fjaestad to media at the time. A study of Steve-O’s bowel movements did not turn up any contraband.

Steve-O spent nearly a week in jail and was released on $5,800 bail. Then the stunt star pleaded guilty to two counts of drug possession and had to pay a fine of about $4,200.

Once safely out of Sweden, Steve-O confessed to the media about the weed-filled condom, saying, “The condom had already gotten out of my system when I was caught by the police. All they got was a joint and an ecstasy tablet which I knew nothing about. The police had no evidence against me but still charged me 50,000 crowns. That’s nothing compared to the publicity I got. I want to make it clear I have no remorse.”

The prankster plans to make the most of his arrest ? by releasing the whole escapade on DVD.

Macaulauy CulkinParty monster

Home Alone child star Macaulay Culkin, now 24, says he only smokes pot these days, after sampling “everything” during his reclusive teenage years. The actor, set to make a comeback with such recent films as Party Monster and Saved!, claims his hard drug days are behind him.

Culkin said, “I made sure I tried everything once, except when it comes to needles ? I don’t fuck around. I did some E, and I’m thinking, ‘This is great. I’m always like this, happy and full of joy.’ But once it’s run its course, you just want more happy pills. So I see why it’s illegal. But there’s nothing wrong with smoking some dope every once in a while.”

Culkin was jailed on September 17, 2004, on two misdemeanor drug counts. Cops pulled the star over for speeding and making an improper lane change. A search of the car yielded 17 grams of marijuana, 16 milligrams of prescription Xanax and Clonazepam, and $3,000 cash. Culkin was released after paying $4,000 bail.

During a CNN interview with Larry King earlier in the year, Culkin reflected on his experiences with drugs and his early celebrity:

“I don’t know, you know, it’s the same as any kid. I mean, you know, everything that I do for some reason becomes this big crazy thing, you know, even though any normal person does it. Like, yes I’m a kid, I had a beer, I smoked a joint. Big deal. You know, what I’m saying, it’s not something I make a thing out of.”

Curb your enthusiasm

In The Car Pool Lane, a recent episode of HBO’s ironic comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm, star Larry David buys med-pot for his Dad’s glaucoma, smokes up himself, and ends up having a very bad trip.

David tries to buy some herb for his dad from a back alley dealer who offers to sell him “an ounce of some real hydroponic, scientific stuff.” When Larry complains about the high price, the dealer offers to sell him some “schwag” for less.

Larry ends up scoring weed off a hooker named Monena that he picked up in order to drive in the faster HOV lane.

Larry then gets stoned with his dad, but ends up getting too high and having a confrontation with his alter-ego in a bathroom mirror.